Acclaimed actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has once again sparked conversation in the film industry with his sharp critique of Bollywood’s creative direction. While promoting his upcoming film Costao, the actor spoke candidly in an interview with Puja Talwar on YouTube, calling out the industry's over-reliance on formula films, sequels, and copied content.
During the interview, Nawazuddin didn’t hold back, stating that Bollywood is suffering from a deep creative crisis. “In our industry, the same thing is repeated for five years straight — then, when people get bored, they finally let it go,” he said. “Actually, insecurity bohut badh gayi hai. Unko lagta hai ek formula chal raha hai toh usse chala lo, ghiso isko. Aur usse bhi pathetic yeh hogaya ki yeh 2, 3, 4 (sequels) hone lag gaya.”
He went on to describe this repetitive trend as a kind of “creativeruptcy,” equating it to financial bankruptcy but in a creative sense. “Kangaliyat hai bohut zayada. Shuru se humari industry chor rahi hai. Humne gaane chori kiye, story chori ki,” he added, implying that plagiarism in the industry is not a recent problem but a long-standing issue.
Siddiqui also pointed fingers at Bollywood’s habit of copying content from other regional cinemas, particularly the South Indian film industry. “Ab jo chor hote hain, woh kahan se creative ho sakte hain,” he said bluntly. “Humne South se churaya, kabhi yahan se churaya, kabhi wahan se churaya. Even some cult films which became hits, unke scenes bhi chori kare hue hain.”
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He expressed concern over how normalized this culture of copying has become within the industry. “Isko itna normalise kardiya gaya ki chori hai toh kya hua?” he remarked, questioning why the lack of originality isn’t being challenged more vocally.
Nawazuddin’s comments resonate with ongoing discussions about Bollywood’s creative slump and its increasing dependence on remakes, sequels, and formula-based films. With audiences having more access to diverse and original content from global and regional platforms, the call for innovation in mainstream Hindi cinema is growing louder.
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